Grilled Zucchini
Servings: 4 - 6 people
- 4 medium (700 grams) zucchini (about 1½ pounds)
For the marinade
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) vinegar white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons mint leaves or basil or parsley, finely chopped
Make marinade
- Add extra virgin olive oil, thinly sliced garlic, chopped mint (or another fresh herb), vinegar, and salt, to a bowl. Stir and set aside.
Grill zucchini
- Preheat the grill or the grill pan to medium-high heat. The temperature should be around 430F or 220C. Make sure the grill and the pan are clean.
- Wash the zucchini, remove the ends, and cut it into slices that are ⅓ to ¼ of an inch thick (that's about 7mm). You can cut long slices or round slices. To cut, use a chef's knife or a mandoline slicer.
- When the grill or grill pan is hot, turn the heat down a notch from medium-high to medium.Place the zucchini slices on the grill on a single layer; no need for oil. Grill for about 3 minutes on one side, then turn around with tongues and grill for another 3 minutes. Transfer onto a serving platter and keep grilling till you run out of zucchini. Do not overcook. Grilled zucchini should be juicy and tender-crisp.
Apply marinade
- As you transfer the zucchini from the grill to the serving platter, drizzle with a generous amount of marinade while the zucchini is still smokey and hot.The warm zucchini will absorb the flavor of the garlic, herbs, and olive oil. The vinegar and salt will make the flavors pop. Optionally you can sprinkle extra fresh herbs on top and some freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, or cold.
HEALTH CONSIDERATION
Less charring is a little healthier, but it's also less flavorful. Do not move the zucchini if you want clear charring marks like our pictures. Only flip it once. Move the slices around the grill while they cook if you wish to have more minor charring.
Grilling without oil, and adding oil on top later, makes the dish healthier because we reduce potential harmful compounds that form when we heat the oil at high temperatures.
If you use a grill pan, cast iron is your best bet because it distributes the heat evenly and reaches higher temperatures than regular pans.
WHY NO OIL BEFORE GRILLING?
You don't want to eat burned oil with your grilled veggies. And science supports this idea. Fat tends to burn with the high grilling temperature, creating potentially harmful chemical compounds and often sour flavor.
The salt takes the water out of the veggies, making them shrink and dry.
So add oil and salt last.
BUT WON'T THE ZUCCHINI STICK TO THE GRILL?
No, they won't. Of course, your grill or grill pan needs to be clean and well seasoned.
WON'T THE ZUCCHINI TASTE BLAND?
No, they won't. Charring without oil adds a ton of smokey flavor.
Adding the marinade onto the hot zucchini when off the grill and on the serving platter will load them with garlic, herbs, and olive oil aroma.
Nutrition information is for one portion out of 4.
